MLive.com file photoBob Perani, founder of Perani's Hockey World and former partial owner of the Flint Generals, passed away Sunday at the age of 69. He is the namesake of Perani Arena in Flint.

FLINT, MI – Bob Perani’s reach went beyond hockey. Perani, a Flint-area businessman and hockey advocate who died Sunday morning at the age of 69, left a lasting legacy with Flint, the state of Michigan and the people around him.

Among those close to Perani was former Detroit Red Wings great Kris Draper, who had both a personal and business relationship with the founder of Perani’s Hockey World and former owner of the Flint Generals.

“Certainly, the hockey world lost a great man, but Bob was also a community guy,” said Draper, who now works as a special assistant to the general manager for the Wings.

“Anybody who’s ever had any involvement with hockey in this state knows the Perani name. It’s pretty amazing what he was able to do with that, but what I remember most about him was just the way he conducted himself. He was a first-class guy.”

Draper was a former partner of the The Perani Group when the company owned and operated the Flint Generals, the now-defunct minor league hockey franchise that played at what is still named Perani Arena in Flint. It was both Perani’s passion for the sport of hockey and integrity in business that inspired Draper to get involved.

“I probably wouldn’t have gotten involved with the Generals if it wasn’t for Bob. Him being there made the decision a lot easier, because I knew what kind of guy he was,” Draper said.

“He loved the game. He cared about minor league hockey, not just his team but everywhere in Michigan and at the junior levels as well. He had a commitment to it and was one of the most special people the sport has had.”

The Generals ultimately folded in 2010 due to money and management issues. Perani himself, however, was just one of nine partners in the franchise and invested heavily in trying to support it.

“I know people were upset when the Generals left and over how it happened, but it wasn’t because of Bob Perani,” said Jim Duhart, a member of the Flint Generals from 1991-1996 and again from 2000-2005. “When things got tough around here, he was the one that kept them going. He pretty much singlehandedly kept the Generals going for a year or two when in all honesty it probably shouldn’t have.”

To Draper, Duhart – a team captain for most of his years with the Generals – and other people formerly associated with the Generals and Perani’s Hockey World, Perani was more than just a business partner or a boss. He was a friend.

“I had a different relationship with Bob other than just being a player. I considered him one of my closest friends,” said Bobby Reynolds, a former player and coach with the Generals from 2001-2009. “Our two families were very close. There isn’t any kid in Michigan or the Midwest, even, that grew up playing hockey who wasn’t influenced by him in some way… It’s tough to lose somebody like that.”

Reynolds described Perani, a self-made businessman who stuck true to his roots, as the perfect example of the American Dream.

“If he gave you his word, it was like gold,” Reynolds said.

Lorne Knauft is another former Generals player who went on to have both a friendship and business relationship with Perani. That wasn’t uncommon.

“Bob was just a positive person for the whole area,” said Knauft, who played with the Generals from 1993-2000 and returned in 2008. “He was so big in the community. It was more than just his involvement in hockey... As players, he looked out for us.

"I’ve got nothing but great things to say about Bob and I think that’s probably the same for anybody that knew him. He’s got a great legacy here.”

Perani’s trademark business, Perani’s Hockey World, is one of the world’s largest distributors of hockey equipment, consisting of 17 sporting goods stores in the United States and two in Canada. It was founded in 1976.

Despite being a successful businessman and a person of wealth, Perani’s fame and fortune didn’t change the way he treated people or acted in day-to-day life.

“He was one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met,” Draper said. “You could start up a conversation with him anytime. I remember bringing my kid up to his store in Flint when he needed to get new hockey stuff and just saw how Bob treated people. You’d never know how rich or successful he was based on the way he acted.”

Added Duhart, “More than anything else I remember Bob as just that guy you could sit and have a beer with and talk about anything.”

While his influence went beyond just the ice rink, Perani – a former hockey player himself – impacted the sport he loved in a way few others have.

“Bob Perani is Flint hockey, that’s the bottom line,” Duhart said. “In terms of Michigan, his impact on the game is right up there with Mike Ilitch. If I remember right I think Bob’s first business venture was in pizza, and then he shifted into hockey. People thought he was crazy.”

Memorial services will take place at Swartz Funeral Home on Hill
Road. The arrangements have not been completed.

Contact Ross at rmaghiel@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter @Maghielse.